BOSTON – The Suffolk University Department of Athletics, its 232 student-athletes, coaches and distinguished guests gathered in celebration of the Rams' 2015-16 Varsity Seasons in the annual athletics banquet Monday night at 20 Somerset.

A total of 41 seniors were honored for their collegiate athletic careers, while the team's rookies of the year and the most valuable players from each sport were recognized for their performances during the 2015-16 campaigns, as well as the coaches' award recipients for the Rams' 13 intercollegiate squads.

For the first time in the history of the event, student-athletes presented these awards to their peers as Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) executive board members, men's basketball's Adam Chick (President), volleyball's and softball's Sydney Littlefield (Vice President) and hockey's Connor McCarthy (Secretary) took over MC responsibilities.

Dr. Nancy Stoll, the Dean of Students, who will be retiring at the end of the academic year after nearly three decades with the University, was presented with an honorary No. 29 game jersey acknowledging her years of service at the University and longtime support of Suffolk athletics.

Men's basketball senior Chick was recognized with the Unsung Hero Award in honor of the late Charles Melanson.

Chick became just the 14th Ram to suit up and appear in over 100 games February 9 and ended his career playing in 104, which is tied for fifth most all-time.  Throughout his four-year career, the Northbrook, Illinois native proved to be one of Suffolk's top rebounders and led the team this season with a career-high 6.5 average on the glass. The senior tri-captain evolved into one of the team's most dependable ball handlers and boasted the second-highest assist-to-turnover ratio on the squad this season. An incredibly unselfish player, Chick is willing to do all of the little things it takes to win and his impact could never truly be valued through statistics alone. He will graduate in May with a degree in marketing. 

Softball senior captain Meredith Ball and baseball senior captain Jon Lapolla were honored with the Carol Maggio Departmental Recognition Award. This award is dedicated in honor of Carol Maggio, the department's longtime Administrative Assistant who served Suffolk for over 18 years. The award is given to a person who has been a valuable asset in the day-to-day operations of the Athletic Department.

Ball and the Rams, who just clinched the GNAC regular season title for the second straight year and the top seed in the conference tournament, look to continue to make history as the winningest team in Suffolk softball's 32-year history. The two-year captain has lead Suffolk to back-to-back 25-plus win seasons including a 29-7 ledger this year, just four wins shy of the program's record of 32. The Nahant, Massachusetts native will finish her career as having played in all games that she has been eligible to play in. The Rams' lead-off hitter for the past two seasons and the anchor in the outfield at centerfield for her four-year career, Ball, while still counting, has amassed a batting average of .311 with 156 hits, 80 runs scored and a near perfect fielding percentage. The marketing major, will graduate in May in the top-five of all-time at bats, games started and games played.

As captain this season, Lapolla has paced the Rams' to yet another historic run with a 30-10 overall mark, just the fourth team in Suffolk baseball's 69-year history to eclipse the 30-win total, and the second seed in the upcoming GNAC tournament with an 11-3 league ledger. The right-handed infielder is hitting .362 on the season in 37 games with 10 doubles, one triple, one homerun, 34 RBI and 34 runs scored. The co-captain, who garnered HERO of the Week earlier this season, presented by HeroSports.com, has been named a GNAC All-Conference selection once and a GNAC Academic All-Conference selection twice.  The Business Management major is a significant part of the athletic community and Suffolk University.

Seniors Justin Selep and Caleb Unni of the hockey and men's basketball team, respectively, were honored with the Charles Law Student Athlete of the Year Award. In 1946, Charles Law established Suffolk University's Athletic program and remained as the University Directory for 33 years. Law coached basketball at Suffolk for 30 years, winning the admiration of his players and peers as "Dean of New England Basketball Coaches" and directing his last two teams to NCAA Division III post-season tournament competition, completing his career with 295 victories. Serving also as the President and Treasurer of the New England Basketball Coaches Association, Charles Law was nominated for membership to the Citizen Savings Athletic Foundation's Coaches Hall of Fame. In honor of the late Charles Law, this award is given to a student-athlete who has excelled in academics and athletics.

Selep made the most of his final campaign on the ice in blue-and-gold as he capped it off with his first All-ECAC Northeast recognition. The forward led the team in goals (17), the most by a Ram in the last nine seasons by a Ram and produced points (31) this season, which each rank second in the conference. The two-time ECAC Northeast Player of the Week's four-game winning goals rank first in the league and tie for seventh nationally across NCAA DIII hockey. He is first on the team in power-play goals with four and tied for second in assists (11). Selep was also named a Joe Concannon Award Semifinalist, given out to the best American born New England hockey player, becoming the first Rams' player to do so since 2009. Selep also standouts academically, as the management major holds a 3.94 grade-point average.

Unni cemented his place as one of the most prolific scorers in program history February 13 when he scored his 1,000th career point during his 100th game in a blue-and-gold uniform. The 28th Ram to accomplish the 1,000-point feat has been one of the team's most reliable guards for the past four seasons with a scoring niche that has made his presence known on and off the court. Unni, who was voted tri-captain in 2015-16, also excelled in the classroom achieving near perfection with a 3.934 grade-point average and graduates in May with dual degrees in business management and marketing.

*Comeback Player | ! Most Improved | + 7th Player   

2015-16 Athletic Banquet